Macy's says its trying to staff its stores with employees who volunteer to work on the holiday.

"Doing so means that our employees are able to make their own decisions about how they contribute to our most important and busiest weekend of the year," Macy's spokeswoman Holly Thomas said. "We have also heard from many associates who appreciate the opportunity to work on Thanksgiving, so they can have time off on Black Friday."

Anyone who works on the Thanksgiving shift will be compensated with overtime pay, Thomas said.